##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
@@†««««.¨¨ ¨¨.««««†@@
@†«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«†@
@@@^.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.^@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨#### ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@^««¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨««^@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@††^^«.¨ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨.«^^††@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@†^.¨¨¨¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ¨¨¨¨.^†@@@
@@^^«.¨¨¨¨ BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ¨¨¨¨.«^^@@
@@@@@†^«.¨ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ¨.«^†@@@@@
#@††^^«.¨¨ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ¨¨.«^^††@#
@@@†^.¨¨¨¨ ANTENNA ARRAYS ¨¨¨¨.^†@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@@@†^«.¨ DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ¨.«^†@@@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ¨.«^†@@@##
@††^^..¨¨¨ GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ¨¨¨..^^††@
#@@^.¨¨¨¨¨ AND «OUR« LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨.^@@#
###@@@†^.¨ GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ¨.^†@@@###
@†«..¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨..«†@
@@^«««.¨¨¨ AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT ¨¨¨.«««^@@
##@@@†^«.¨ VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ¨.«^†@@@##
###@@†^«.¨ CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ¨.«^†@@###
@@†«.¨¨¨¨¨ THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ¨¨¨¨¨.«†@@
##@@@†^«.¨ AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@†««««.¨ AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ¨.««««†@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ¨.«^†@@@##
@@^«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨«^@@
@@@^^..¨¨¨ AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ¨¨¨..^^@@@
@†««.¨¨¨¨¨ (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ¨¨¨¨¨.««†@
##@@@†^«.¨ RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@†««««.¨ AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ¨.««««†@@@
@@†^^«¨¨¨¨ MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ¨¨¨¨«^^†@@
##@@@†^«.¨ DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ¨.«^†@@@##
@@†^^«¨¨¨¨ COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ¨¨¨¨«^^†@@
@@†^««««.¨ FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ¨.««««^†@@
##@@@†^«.¨ BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ NO ¨ ONE ¨ HAS ¨ ANSWERED ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@^.¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨#### ¨¨¨¨¨.^@@@
@@@@@†^«.¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨.«^†@@@@@
@@@@†«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«†@@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ SO WHY IS THAT? ¨.«^†@@@##
@@†^^«...¨ ¨...«^^†@@
##@@@†^«.¨ MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ¨.«^†@@@##
#@@@†«¨¨¨¨ THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ¨¨¨¨«†@@@#
@@@@^..¨¨¨ A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ¨¨¨..^@@@@
@@@@@†^«.¨ PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ¨.«^†@@@@@
@†«..¨¨¨¨¨ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ¨¨¨¨¨..«†@
###@@†^«.¨ HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ¨.«^†@@###
@†«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«†@
##@@@†^«.¨ BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ¨.«^†@@@##
@@†^.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.^†@@
##@@@†^«.¨ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨.«^†@@@##
@@@@@†^«.¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ¨.«^†@@@@@
##@@@†^«.¨ SHOWS) ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
@@†««....¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨....««†@@
##@@@†^«.¨ ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨#### ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨.«^†@@@##
@@†««.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.««†@@
##@@@†^«.¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨.«^†@@@##
@††^«¨¨¨¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨¨¨¨«^††@
##@@@†^«.¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨.«^†@@@##
##@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@##
@†^..¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨..^†@
@††††««¨¨¨ ¨¨¨««††††@
@@@@@†^«.¨ ¨.«^†@@@@@
@@@@^«««.¨ ¨.«««^@@@@